Elementary Virtue: The Prophecy (38 page)

They spent the night closely cuddled up in his narrow bed, but it didn't bother either of them. It seemed to them that they could never get close enough. Gregory told her about the third amulet which had to be found and returned to the tribal elders. They didn't even think about sleeping. If they were not kissing each other, they were making plans for the future, after the deliverance of the third amulet. Even if Gregory had ended this venture, he wouldn't be able to return to school because the Vultures thought he was dead and for now it was better to keep it that way. He was going to return to his stepparents and finish school in Italy. Then they would try to go to the same university and of course stay together forever. They discussed everything precisely, except that Gregory kept one tiny detail to himself, his immortality. He didn't know how to tell her, because so far he had no clue how to get rid of this unwanted side-effect of fulfilling the prophecy.

Leyla stayed a few more days in Malta and Gregory showed her the island. The days flew by. They were inseparable and enjoyed every minute of her stay. On December 23rd it was their last day, the farewell approached, and with it the certainty that it could take a hell of a long time until they were going to meet again. Knowing this in the back of their mind made them both experience this day even more intense and precious. Leyla would have preferred to stay a little longer, but her family insisted on her coming home for Christmas and Shannon and Franco would be overjoyed when they learned that Gregory was fine and sooner or later they would be able eventually to take their long lost son in their arms again.

Once again, Leyla was standing at the airport and had to be separated from Gregory. Only this time around she was the one leaving him, waving one last time, after one last kiss. They looked at each other, this time, she knew that she would see him again for sure, although her world had been thoroughly changed since yesterday. Only last night he had told her about his immortality that had helped him survive the mission at the volcano. Well, saying that he told her was perhaps exaggerated, she noticed that Gregory was hiding something from her and pressed it out of him. What a dilemma, she would get old and fade to grey and eventually die. Gregory, however, would remain eighteen-years-old forever. Keanu assured her this morning that Gregory was trying to find a way out and to become mortal again. She put her finger to her lips and raised her hand in Gregory's direction.

One last time she looked into his deep blue eyes, and then she turned and left the passport control behind. Why did everything have to be so complicated? Well, she was only sixteen. Gregory had two years to find the amulet and get rid of his immortality if he didn't want to be in a relationship with an older woman. Last night after his confession, Gregory suddenly pulled her close whispering in her ear "If this is our last night together for some time 'babe' let’s do it right. You have to kiss me like you mean it. Then we have to do something totally crazy, so you won’t forget about me." They decided that moonlight swimming in December at a temperature of about 10 degrees was crazy enough. After that, they were so cold, their bodies numb from the cold, that they had trouble warming up again the whole night, and she still had some sand in her shoes.

Thinking back on last night had a smile creep onto her face, despite the impasse of his immortality, he would find a way out of this misery. He always did!

The situation might seem hopeless, but their story was far from over…

END